The lovely Tai Goodwin came to visit for some casual headshots to use on her website and social media. Tai works with authors, coaches and other experts to help with their marketing. She has such energy and it was fun getting to chat with her a bit but my favorite part of working with her is that her email signature says “stay brilliant!” and every time I got an email from her, that part felt like a personal message just for me, even if it wasn’t. :)

I moved all of the tips to a separate 31 Days of Photo Tips section. You can access it at any time using the link down in the footer box, on the right side. Sadly, I found out after doing this that it removes all the comments and Facebook likes which is a huge bummer. Feel free to leave another if you’re feeling particularly sad for me.

. . . . . . . .

And now I’m really going to push it by trying another month-long project, the Instagram February Photo a Day. Let me know if you’re joining, too.

And even though I just complained about it, one of my goals for this year is to write more. I was an English major in college, with a creative and technical writing emphasis. I used to write all the time, filling notebooks, typing page after page, scribbling on napkins. Now, the majority of what I write consists of what I can fit into 140 characters or detailing what my session availability is. I’d like to do a bit more mindful writing, the kind where you take time and think and edit and craft.

I’ve also been realizing lately how little extracurricular photography I’ve been doing and how little of my life I share here. I moved all of my music photography to another blog (lest I dilute my “brand clarity” and other such buzzwords) and tend to mostly take Instagram photos now. So, in addition to writing more, I’d like to amp up the “fun” photography and share a bit of both here. Hopefully you’ll stick around?

Find all 31 photo tips here.

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace,
The gladness of Christmas give you hope,
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
~Author Unknown

A very Merry Christmas to my friends, young and old, my lovely clients, and all of you and your families.

- Mandy

Last night, I finished my Christmas shopping. I was pretty proud – this may be the earliest I’ve ever finished (or maybe even started). I mean, Christmas is still over a week away! And then I started noticing the ads and tweets businesses were posting about “last minute” shopping and if you still needed to get a “last minute” gift. People, last minute is the afternoon of December 24th, NOT December 15th. Trust me.

That being said, if you’re looking for a great gift, you’ve found a good place. The gift of photography. I feel like a bad jewelry ad when I say that this is a gift that will be treasured and kept forever, but it’s true. Dads, this is a good one for your wife; Grandparents, a good one for your kids, etc. Know someone expecting? Perfect. Buy a Glimpses of Soul Photography gift card and I’ll send you a lovely little card to present to them on Christmas Day. Contact me to purchase one.

And don’t forget to check out the Camera Gear Gift Guide if you’re looking to purchase equipment!